World Wide Following

A lot of Cambridge’ followers continue to follow, from fellowship to fellowship and from country to country.

They have their own view about “following”.

From Anna-Maija (Finland): Zebra Crossing

It starts like a joke. A Finn wanted to cross the street in Cambridge. She didn´t find any zebra crossings and was a little bit lost. Finn asked advice from a new friend of hers, a Frenchwoman who had lived in Cambridge for some time. Frenchwoman advised her: “Just cross the street as fast as you can”.

I stayed in Cambridge for four weeks in august 2011 as a follower to my husband. I was fortunate enough to meet other Followers and got some company. From them I also got some perspective for my upcoming stay in the US as a follower for three years. In new situations and places, it takes courage and termination to get in and involved. “Just
cross as fast as you can”, is a good advice for a follower.

I have a master in fine art in Finland. At the moment I stay at home with our son, doing art very slowly.

Feb. 9, 2012

I wanted to write after reading a book about the Finnish followers. Annika Oksanen has made her thesis about moving abroad with her husband. She had some very good points and generalisations about the followers. I try to make a summary as soon as I can. This book helped me to think my project as a follower. My plan is now to gather information and a frame for Irvine. Furthermore I am planning to get rid of lots of our stuff and write a list about the necessities in life. Also planning to photograph us putting our stuff away.

So my mind is filled with moving.

April 9. 2012

Do you know about Robin Pascoe and her three books about following; A Broad Abroad, A Moveable Marriage and Raising Global Nomads? She discusses about culture shock, having your own career on the side, resentment and fatigue and children´s transformation to what she calls third culture kids. These books are great companions.

All my neighbours are making plans for next fall. My son’s friends are starting kindergarden here. Lots of mums have their second child coming or in their arms. I feel different and losing common ground with them. I realize that my son is going to have a very different childhood from mine.

My worry now is how to get all his toys to America. We been hiding ugly stuff , but he remembers and asks for everything. Luckily we can bring some of it to my mother’s place.

We don’t know where we are moving: maybe Irvine or Seattle. My husband would like to go to Seattle, because it is more distinguished university. Our move has to be postponed to the end of summer and am not a very good at waiting. I was waiting for the sun in California. But in Seattle we will live in a real city and there are more opportunities for me to get some kind of internship. My visa is a none-working-one, so I can’t work, but there are many interesting things to do – without pay. Since I am interested in art this will not be a problem…

I shall think and photograph my move and things and send this to you. I hope you have a good summer!

We are moving to London in July. I am packing for Finland now. So sad to move, I must put my adventure hat on!

When is it, that you are so settled that you no longer follow?!) I am happy and sad about everything these days. It must be the moving.

From Suzanne (Germany): relocation – April 15 2015

Thanks a million for your time last week! I was very happy to see you before we left … I am missing my friends already… really a lot … All these friendships kept me sane!

I am still looking for a path that’s right for me! Altogether I think it was the right move.

It feels right – but as always – it’s a damn hard job to follow the fellow (only upbeat is that “my fellow” has a proper income by now – which makes many things easier – but it doesn’t help with the every day surviving!)